Beavers born in Essex for ‘first time since Middle Ages’
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Beavers reintroduced to tackle flooding in Essex have given birth to two kits - the first time the animals have been born in the county since the Middle Ages.
Spains Hall Estate in Finchingfield was the site where a pair of Eurasian beavers were released last year as part of a river management project and became the first pair to be brought to Essex in around 400 years.
The arrival of the babies means the reintroduction is off to a rapid start.
Beavers were hunted to extinction in the UK by the beginning of the 16th century due to demand for their meat, fur and scent glands.
Numerous reintroduction programmes are now underway to bring back the ‘keystone species’ which through their re-engineering of watercourses have dramatic positive ecological impacts on the landscapes they inhabit.
A five-year study into beavers which was completed earlier this year found Britain’s wild beaver populations were reducing the impacts of floods, cleaning river water, and boosting populations of fish,...
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